


Flying without wings

by RelentlassHuggerSquad



Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends, Fluffy, Gen, Liv Needs A Hug, Ruby Needs A Hug, they need to hug each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24885931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelentlassHuggerSquad/pseuds/RelentlassHuggerSquad
Summary: After her shocking betrayal months prior, Ruby seeks to make amends and win back her best friend. She wants to prove to Liv that she cares and she's sorry, but Liv may not be so quick to forgive.(Based off the lyrics from 'Flying without wings' by westlife.'You find it in the deepest friendshipThe kind you cherish all your lifeAnd when you know how much that meansYou've found that special thingYou're flying without wings'
Relationships: Liv Morgan & Ruby Riot | Heidi Lovelace
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LiteratureLocker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiteratureLocker/gifts), [ahunter8056](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahunter8056/gifts).



Ruby tried to ignore it, she really did. It wasn’t her place to get involved in Liv’s matches anymore, it wasn’t her place to make the save. She had been the one to throw their friendship away, she had been the one to squash all of the hope out of Liv. Ruby tried to look away from the monitor showing Lana and Nattie beating up and degrading Liv. It made her blood boil but wasn’t Nattie just repeating what Ruby herself had said all those weeks prior. 

Guilt welled up inside of Ruby, making her want to vomit. Liv deserved better than this, deserved better than all of them. Ruby wasn’t sure she could make up for what she had done, for all the pain that she had caused her best friend. 

“Dang it Liv.” 

Ruby got to her feet and made her way to the Gorilla position. She knew that going off-script was wrong, but Vince wanting to break up the Riott Squad had been wrong. Ruby felt like she had been gutted, similar to how she felt when Liv had been traded to Smackdown. She wasn’t even sure how she made it to the ring, all she knew was that she needed to save Liv.

The former leader of the Riott Squad slid into the ring ready to scare Lana and Nattie away. She tackled Nattie first, turning the tables on the only female graduate of the Hart dungeon. It didn’t take long for Ruby to clear the ring of Liv’s attackers, but when she finally got around to check on her former friend, Liv was flinching away from her. 

Whatever sense of pride Ruby felt in saving Liv, evaporated quickly. The way Liv was looking at her like a wounded and confused animal, it had that feeling tasting like ashes in Ruby’s mouth. 

“Let me help you,” Ruby said reaching for her. 

"No." 

Again, Liv flinched away and rolled out of the ring. She held her ribs as she slowly backed up the ramp, her eyes never leaving Ruby’s. Liv looked like she had seen a ghost and that haunted expression was like a knife to the heart. Ruby made her way backstage not even caring that she got chewed out by Vince and the creative team. 

She didn't care about what they had to say, she needed to find Liv. Ruby wasn't even sure she could get Liv to talk to her after everything but she had to try. The punk rock superstar listened, nodding when appropriate so Vince and the others would let her go faster. When she finally could make a break for it, she hurried off towards the locker room. 

"Liv!"

Liv had just finished getting changed into her street clothes and look at her former friend with a look of uncertainty. "What do you want? I am not in the mood to talk." 

"I'm sorry."

Liv's eyes darkened. "You're sorry? What are you sorry for exactly, that you stabbed me in the back, that you attacked and degraded me? How about when you called me pathetic, said that I was a dog meant to be on a leash? Surely you remember that don't you Ruby?" 

Ruby cringed as the words were thrown back in her face, but she forced herself to keep eye contact. "Yes, I am sorry for all of that. I was wrong Liv, I shouldn't have said those things. I shouldn't have allowed the writers to make things that personal. I am sorry for all of it. You're my best friend."

"I was your best friend." Liv corrected coldly.

At this Ruby finally did break eye contact, finally staring down at the ground. "I am sorry Liv for what I did. I can't go back and change the past, but I recognize that I hurt you. I want to make it up to you." 

"I am not sure you can Rue." Liv folded her arms over her chest. She wasn't going to let herself fall for whatever this was, she wasn't sure she could trust Ruby not to stab her in the back. She was trying to build up her walls, trying to put emotional distance between them. Now that Sarah was gone, there was nobody to buffer between them, and Liv refused to let herself be hurt like that again. 

"Well if there is anything that I can do, just let me know," Ruby said giving her a meaningful look. She knew the hell that Liv had gone through in the past and she wanted to respect her boundaries. If Liv needed some space and time by herself then Ruby was going to give her that. However, she wasn't going to let anybody attack Liv again. She was going to be a respectful and loyal friend like she should have been from the beginning. 

Liv stared at her for a long moment and then nodded. "See you around Riott." She said, grabbing her gear and leaving. 

\------

Liv Morgan was ready to just put as many miles as she could between her, Ruby, and the whole situation. Ruby coming to save her had her feeling some sort of way. She wasn’t sure how she actually felt about it, her mind was a confusing mix of emotions. 

On one hand, she felt happy and excited that Ruby had finally come to her senses, but on the other hand she was confused as to why Ruby had betrayed her in the first place. Ruby had said a lot of hateful things and while some of them had been due to creative’s writing, some of them had hit to close to home. The promos had actually driven a wedge between the two superstars. 

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Liv just tried to focus on the road. The more miles she put between them the better. If it was possible to outrun her problems, then she was going to do her best too. 

Things were going well enough for about an hour, she still had about forty-five minutes left before she’d get to the next town that they were having a show in. She was driving down a dark patch of the road when suddenly she came across a box in the middle of the road. She swerved to miss it and ended up veering off the side of the road and popping a tire. 

“Dang it!” Liv cursed, getting out of her car to check out the damage to her rental car. It was just a blown tire, but she wasn’t sure that there would be a tow truck at this time of night. It was near midnight. 

Liv got back in her car and locked the doors, not wanting to make herself a target for anything. She thought about trying to call one of the road agents, but then her thoughts drifted to Ruby. Her former friend wasn’t the type to leave her by the side of the road and Ruby would have to pass by this way eventually so she decided to call her. 

“Liv?” Ruby sounded surprised to be receiving a call from her. “Is everything okay?”

“I was on my way to the show and my car blew a tire. Can you please come to get me?” Liv was almost reluctant to ask, but she needed help. Whatever differences they had, at her core Liv knew that Ruby was a decent person. 

Ruby didn’t even hesitate at all. “Okay, I left probably thirty minutes after you did. Drop me the pin for your location and I’ll be right there.” Ruby promised. 

“Thanks, Rue,” Liv said quietly, sending her the location pin before hanging up. She could remember times in the past where Ruby had always been her first call. When things were going bad, Liv had always relied on her squadmates. It had been one heck of a wake-up call when she had been drafted to Smackdown and Ruby went out with her injury. Liv had felt gutted and alone, but she had learned to survive without her friends. On Smackdown she did have Sonya around sometimes, but she had mostly been alone. Then Lana had come into her life and that had just been one bad mistake after another, Lana had used and confused her, and Liv had realized that the girl was not somebody she should be around. 

As promised about twenty-minutes later Ruby pulled up on the scene. She climbed out of the car to inspect Liv’s rental and the blown tire. She gently tapped on Liv’s window. “You can just take my rental to the next town over if you want, I’ll stay here with yours.” 

“I don’t think that’s legal,” Liv said laughing softly. She honestly just wanted to cry and put the day behind her. “Can you just wait with me? I’ll leave my car and come back to it in the morning. I’d rather call the tow truck when it’s daylight out.” 

Ruby nodded and guided Liv to her car, carrying her backs for her. “I am glad you called me.” 

“I am still mad at you, this doesn’t change anything,” Liv warned, not wanting Ruby to think that everything was fixed just because she had called her. She watched the way Ruby’s face crumpled and ignored it, despite the way it made her heart squeeze uncomfortably.

\----

Ruby drove them in silence, it had meant a lot that Liv had called her, but she could tell that Liv was keeping her at arm’s length. She decided to not push it and just focused on controlling her breathing. Normally Liv was super chatty and animated on drives, but the blonde had hardly said a word since getting in the car. Ruby let out a heavy sigh and gritted her teeth, wishing she knew the proper thing to say to Liv to make things better. 

“What?”

Ruby startled at the sound of Liv snapping at her. “I didn’t do anything.” She protested. 

“You keep sighing heavily. If you have something to say, just say it.” Liv was more than a little moody now and just wanted to know what the heck Ruby wanted. 

“I’m sorry, I am not trying to make you mad.” Ruby swallowed hard, taken back by the fire in Liv’s voice. She readjusted her grip on the steering wheel, wishing she could instead reach out and hold Liv’s hand. She had learned a long time ago that the easiest way to calm her best friend was physical touch. 

Liv glared at her, but slowly her expression softened, but just barely. “It’s been a long day. I just need some sleep, thank you for coming to get me.” 

“I wouldn’t leave you by the side of the road Liv.” Ruby hadn’t even considered it, even at the height of their feud she would have never done that. 

“Maybe a piece of me knows that but I think somewhere along the line, everything got blurry Rue.” Liv sighed and rubbed the back of her neck as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. “Thanks for the ride, Rue.”

Ruby managed a soft nod, trying not to react as Liv grabbed her stuff and walked away, the door slamming shut behind her. It felt almost like an omen of Liv slamming the door shut on their friendship, and it left Ruby feeling like she had a pit in her stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby tries to work on rebuilding her friendship with Liv. They both have heart to hearts with Sarah.

“Are you kidding me?” Liv wanted to chuck her phone against the wall. Not only had it turned out that her rental car needed more than just a new tire, but the place she had rented it from couldn’t come to get it from the side of the road until later that day. It would have been fine, had Liv not needed to be at the arena most of the day. Not to mention she couldn’t wait around because she had to complete the rest of the road loop.

“No, no I understand. I am just frustrated. I see...Okay, I will make do.” Liv hung up the phone and groaned. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now, there was a chance she could try to catch a ride with another Raw superstar, but she felt embarrassed for even having to ask. The possibility of the rest of the RAW roster looking down on her was too high, she didn’t want to give them another reason to think she was a joke. 

Across the lobby she could see Ruby exiting from the elevator, armed with heer luggage and coffee. Liv hesitated for a moment, before getting up and making her way over to the green-haired superstar. 

“Hey Rue, do you have a minute?” Liv asked, rocking nervously on the balls of her feet.

Ruby was surprised to see Liv but nodded. “Sure, what do you need?” She asked, moving to the side of the lobby so they wouldn’t be in anybody else’s way. 

“I need a favor, my car is still broken down and they won’t be able to fix it. Do you mind giving me a ride for the rest of the road loop?” Liv figured she could survive two days of traveling with Ruby, as long as the other girl didn’t get all sappy or mopey on her. 

Ruby blinked slowly, trying to process the information. “Sure, you can ride with me.” She said after a long moment. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting but that wasn’t it. Ruby considered the fact that being alone with a car with Liv could either repair their friendship or cripple it worse. 

“Okay I’ll pitch in for gas money, it’s only fair,” Liv said, immediately wanting to set a boundary up. "We can leave now if you want too." She was all too aware of Ruby's perpetual need to be early to the arena. Ruby and Sarah had both instilled a stronger work ethic in Liv, they had tried to teach her better time management skills. 

Ruby simply shrugged, trying to play it cool. "That's fine by me." She then turned and carried her gear to the car. Ruby threw her gear in the trunk, trying to give herself a mental pep talk. If she continued to show up and be there when Liv needed her, then she could start on earning the blonde's trust back. 

Liv walked out a few minutes later, armed with her own luggage bags. "Do you want me to drive the first leg of the trip?"

"Oh, it's okay. I don't mind driving." Ruby replied. What she left unsaid was that she didn't exactly trust Liv behind the wheel of her rental car. Everybody and their mom knew how bad of a driver Liv was. 

Liv rolled her eyes and climbed into the passenger seat. "Suit yourself, Rue. Wake me up, if you need me to take over," She slid on her sunglasses and shifted her body towards the door. 

Ruby glanced at her and frowned, she hated that there was such a deep divide between them. All she wanted to do was reach out and hold her best friend but that wasn't her place anymore. She turned on the radio and started them on their drive to the stadium. 

It was halfway into their drive that Liv finally turned to look at her. She had noticed something in the cupholder. “Why do you have a bag of jolly ranchers.” 

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. “Because I like the red and green ones. I still save all of the blue ones for you. I didn’t have the heart to eat them, those were always for you” Ruby admitted quietly. At home and during the time she had been recovering from her injuries Ruby had saved a couple of gallon-sized baggies of blue jolly ranchers for Liv. 

Liv chewed on the inside of her cheek and then peeked at the bag. “Do you have any of the blue ones?” 

Ruby nodded and gestured to the bag. “All yours Liv.” 

“Thanks.” Liv murmured quietly. She took the bag, a bit surprised by Ruby’s thoughtfulness. Truth be told she had assumed when Ruby turned on her, that her friend had forgotten all about her. Before the Squad had been split up, Ruby had always been insanely thoughtful, so seeing this side of her again made Liv’s heart hurt. 

“Liv, I am still sorry,” Ruby said after a long moment.

“You keep saying that, and I believe you. I just still need some time Rue, but I think I can work towards forgiving you.”

Ruby swallowed hard. “Take all the time you need.”   
\----

When they reached the arena, the dup went their separate ways. The head of Talent Relations wanted to speak to Ruby about her little stunt, while Liv herself just wanted to get changed and head to catering. She knew most likely Ruby was going to get chewed out and she didn’t want to be around for that part. Liv hated being called into the Talent Relation’s office. After getting changed the blonde made her way to catering and smiled when she saw a familiar face. 

Sarah Logan was backstage hanging out with her husband Eric. “Squad, squad!” Liv called, running and tackling Sarah into a big hug. 

Sarah just laughed and ruffled her hair. “Hey, little one.” She mused, squeezing her. “I was hoping to see you.” 

“You were?” Liv looked confused. “Why’s that?” 

“Well, I saw the show yesterday and wanted to ask you why I wasn’t invited to the Riott Squad reunion.” Sarah was joking, of course, she was happy with her MMA career, but she was curious. 

Liv ducked her head and shrugged. “I wasn’t even aware the Riott Squad were reuniting. Ruby decided to go rogue I guess.” Liv wasn’t sure that the Riott Squad was even still a thing, but at the very least she was still friendly with Sarah. 

“So Ruby just sprung it on you?” Sarah looked surprised. 

“Yeah, she has been doing that a lot lately.” Liv settled into the chair across from Sarah and studied her. 

Sarah met her gaze, studying her in return. “I am not going to get in the middle of whatever you and Rue have going on. That’s your business, all I will say is that I miss you two.” Sarah wasn’t going to take a side in their conflict. She knew that Ruby had screwed up, but there had been things that Liv had done as well. Neither side was particularly innocent. 

Liv glanced down at the table and frowned. “I missed you all too. I won’t tell her but I missed Ruby too. I think that’s why it hurt so badly when she turned on me. I don’t want to believe or trust that she actually came back for me.” 

Sarah gave her a sympathetic look. “Ruby is flawed, she’s not perfect. She went about things the wrong way, but I think she realized that her life is better with you in it.” Sarah replied quietly. She didn’t want to speak for Ruby, but that’s where she thought her friend’s head was at. 

“Could you talk to her? Maybe ask her not to mess with me, if she’s only going to hurt me again?” Liv asked quietly. 

“I really don’t want to get in the middle of this, but I’ll have a conversation with her,” Sarah promised. If she could contribute in possibly patching up the squad’s friendship then she felt like she needed to try. 

Liv flashed her friend a grateful smile. “Thank you. I have to get ready for my match but I’ll talk to you later.” 

\-----

Ruby was in a sour mood by the time she got done with her meeting. Vince himself had come to the meeting to chew her out over her actions on Raw. She had stood there and taken it, apologizing for the fact that she had ruined the storyline plans. Vince McMahon seemed to have a real disdain for any performer that tried to get themselves over without his permission. Finally, when Vince had tired himself out from yelling, the Boss had allowed her to go. 

"You look like crap Rue." 

Ruby's head popped up when she heard Sarah's familiar southern-drawl. "Shake-n-Bake," Ruby called, turning and jogging towards her old friend They had known each other for a long time, and Sarah was one of the few people Ruby felt completely comfortable around. 

Sarah's face lit up as she hugged Ruby. "It's good to see you." 

Ruby chuckled. "It's good to see you as well Sarah, even if you did just tell me I look like crap. What are you doing here?" 

"I was visiting backstage with Rowe when I ran into Liv. She asked me to talk to you." Sarah admitted, trying not to notice the way that Ruby seemed to tense. "Do you want to tell me what you were doing, when you interrupted her match?" 

"It's a long story..."

Sarah arched a brow. "Well, I have time. So go ahead and tell me, I don't have anything better to do." She shot back with an easy smile. 

Reluctantly Ruby began to share her thought process when she had come to interrupt the match. She explained to Sarah how she had wanted to make up for hurting Liv in the first place and how she had come to the realization that the storyline had gone too far. "I hate that there are tensions and awkwardness between Liv and I. Honestly, I just wish things could go back to the way they were before I had shoulder surgery." 

"Well, you can't go back and change the past, but you can try to make it up to her." Sarah knew how close the two were, she had been riding shotgun during all the trip on the road. If there were any two people that were peas in a pod, it was Ruby and Liv. "I think she is hurting right now, but you can definitely work towards a place of forgiveness and understanding." 

"I don't blame her for being angry, I mean I totally get it. I just wish I hadn't gone with what creative said in the first place. It hit a lot of low spots in her life and I should have tried to protect her better." Ruby ran a hand through her hair, tugging at it in frustration. She just wanted to hug Liv and close the emotional distance that had developed between them. Every time she saw Liv now, it felt like a knife to the gut. 

"All you can do is be there for her now. Have her back and allow her the freedom and space to decide on her own if she's ready to move past it." Sarah hesitated for a moment before dragging Ruby into another hug. "I missed you, Rue."

"I missed you a lot as well Sarah, more than I could even truly express. It's been a crazy couple of months." Ruby melted into her friend's embrace and hugged her back.

Sarah chuckled as she pulled back, curious about something. "How badly did you get chewed out? Did you try growling at Vince, you know he loves those weird tests."

Ruby burst out laughing and shook her head. "No, I didn't growl at our boss, that was always your area of expertise. I just let him yell himself out, and vent at me. I think he realizes me going out to save Liv drew in a lot of viewers. I'm probably going to be in hot water for a while, but he isn't going to fire me." 

"Well, that's good. Maybe try and keep a low profile, stay out of creative's way until it all blows over." Sarah suggested, not wanting Ruby to get in more trouble.

Ruby gave a quick nod. "That's the plan. I'm traveling the rest of the road loop with Liv, so hopefully, we can just fly under the radar. I don't need any more drama." Ruby conceded, just hoping everything would work out for the better. All she hoped for was a chance to fix things with her best friend. If Vince decided to run with it and make it a storyline, then she'd ride that wave too. As long as Liv was by her side, nothing else would matter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion

Liv and Ruby had been riding together for almost three weeks now. There was still a bit of awkwardness between them, but Liv had concurred that driving with Ruby was better than being by herself in the car. It was another person to take over driving when she got tired, and to help navigate. She was pretending to look at it from a business standpoint, but truth be told, she had just missed Ruby. She wasn’t going to admit it of course, but having Ruby made her feel more confident like she wasn’t alone. Liv had never really been good at being alone. 

Ruby was driving currently, her fingers drumming on the steering wheel, along to the music Liv had selected. Music had always been sort of a middle ground for them because they could always find music that they both liked. It was the easiest way to talk to each other without actually having to verbalize their moods. 

“Your phone just dinged,” Liv said, glancing over at Ruby. 

“You can check it. I am kind of busy.” Ruby replied, not unkindly. She just didn’t want to take her hands off the wheel since they were driving on the freeway. 

The blonde gave her a weird look but obliged her by picking up Ruby’s phone. “It’s from Vince. He says that he talked with the creative team and they officially want us to start teaming together.” Liv said reading the text. 

Ruby took a moment to process this news, carefully trying to rein in her reaction. She wanted to team with Liv again, but she wasn’t sure how her friend was going to take the news. “It sounds like they have plans for us at least. It’s better than being stuck in the back, in catering.” 

Liv glanced over at her, the blonde’s gaze alight with fire. “I suppose that is a good sign.” She handed Ruby’s phone back, chewing her bottom lip. Liv was clearly trying to process through everything that she was feeling as well. “I guess the Riott Squad is back together.” 

“We could come up with a different name.” Ruby offered, trying to still extend an olive branch. She knew she had been earning her friend’s trust back little by little, but they still seemed to have a long way to go. 

“No that’s ridiculous, we don’t need to change the name,” Liv muttered, shaking her head. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being an official team with Ruby again. 

Ruby chewed on the inside of her cheek and nodded, she felt as though she was walking on eggshells around Liv. She didn’t want to piss the blonde off again and ruin the progress they had been making. “Are you sure? I don’t mind changing the name.”

“The name is fine Rue,” Liv replied, sighing quietly. “If we’re going to be a team again, we’ll need to work on some team maneuvers. We don’t have Sarah to help us anymore, so you’ll be taking more of the power moves. Can your shoulders handle it?” 

Ruby simply nodded. “I am good to go and so are my shoulders.” 

“Alright let’s get to planning then,” Liv said, glancing out the window.

\----

-At Raw-

Liv sat in catering her eyes glued to the TV monitor. Ruby was in the ring doing a segment with Lana and Nattie. It was supposed to break down into a handicap match, in which the two heels would beat down Ruby and then in the end Liv would come out there and make the save. 

Liv was trying to get herself into the right mindset. She really cared about Ruby but at the same time, she was still struggling to work through her own issues. There was a part of her that felt insecure about the fact that Vince didn’t think she could make it as a singles wrestler. It was eating at her confidence, like a nagging thought at the base of her skull. 

Before Ruby had come back from the double shoulder surgery, Liv had been trying to make a name for herself on her own. It wasn’t where she had envisioned herself on the card but she had at least been proving herself to the best of her abilities. Now it felt like she was back at square one. 

“Hey Liv, you’re up.” 

Liv forced a smile, nodding to the backstage producer. She checked her wrestling boots and made her way to the Gorilla position. She took a deep breath, watching the monitor. She could see Ruby struggling in the ring, trying to fight off both Nattie and Lana. Liv’s theme music hit and she ran out to the ring, intent on trying to save Ruby. 

The second she slid into the ring, it was like no time had passed at all. There was always this undeniable chemistry whenever the two members of the Riott Squad worked together. They could read each other’s movements without even having to say a word. It had been the same way when Sarah was there, but even without her, they were still finding their way. 

Eventually, the two face wrestlers managed to clear the ring of Lana and Nattie. Liv stared Ruby down, watching as the tattooed wrestler was breathing hard and clutching her midsection. Slowly she extended a hand to her, meaning the action in more ways than one. They were going to have to work together and Liv was tired of trying to fight against that 

The crowd was going crazy as Ruby glanced at Liv’s hand and then slowly took it. Liv pulled her into a tight hug. 

“I forgive you,” Liv whispered softly, truly meaning it this time. She was ready to put the past behind them. “I am ready to move forward.” 

Ruby melted into the hug, her hands tightening on Liv’s side. Her knees seemed to buckle in relief at Liv finally truly forgiving her. “Thank you.”

“Now come on, we have a storyline to sell,” Liv said. She climbed from the ring and helped Ruby out, the duo slowly making their way backstage. 

\----

\- At their hotel-

Liv was hanging in her hotel room, flipping through the channels. She was and Ruby despite riding together on the different road loops, still weren't rooming together. They preferred to have their own space, so they weren't right on top of each other. It had been Liv's suggestion, but there was a piece of her that missed having her best friend close by. Whenever the nightmares bothered Liv, she could always count on Ruby being willing to scoot over and hold her. 

Sighing Liv got up to look down at the hotel courtyard where the pool was. She wanted to go swimming but only if there weren't a lot of people around. What caught her attention was Ruby laying out by the pool, in one of the sun chairs. There wasn't a lot of people out by the poolside, only Ruby and like two other people who were in the hot tub.

Getting dressed in her swimsuit, Liv made her way outside. She knew that she and Ruby still needed to talk through a few things, now that their friendship was on the mend. 

Ruby looked surprised to see her, but only really acknowledged her with a nod. Ruby didn't seem certain about how to take Liv's arrival into the pool area. 

Liv nodded back at her and then climbed into the water. She swam a few lazy laps, every so often looking in the older superstar's direction. Finally, she swam up to the edge of the pool, resting her chin on her hands. "Do you want to swim too?" 

"Nah, I am not a strong swimmer," Ruby responded, but she did sit up, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head. "Is something bothering you, you keep glancing over at me." 

"When we become champions, are you going to leave me again?" Liv asked, her voice sounding small. 

Ruby wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "No, I learned my lesson. We're a team, and if our team gets broken up again, it'll be a mutual decision, not us stabbing each other in the back. I won't do that to you again." 

"I didn't want to forgive you, but I am glad I did. These past few weeks have taught me that despite everything, I am happier when you're by my side. I don't think Vince has faith I could make it on my own." Liv muttered glumly. 

"That's not true. Liv you could make it on your own, I am thankful to be your tag team partner, but I know you could make it on your own. You don't need me to be successful." Ruby argued, her eyes blazing with emotion. She didn't want Liv to ever think less of herself. "You could be the face of this business, screw anybody that says anything different. You have talent Liv. You matter, your dreams matter." 

Liv swallowed hard, unsure of what to do with all of the praise. She knew that they were on their way back to rebuilding their friendship. "Let's win those tag-titles huh?" She asked with a watery laugh. 

Ruby returned her smile, her own tears unshed but lingering in the corner of her eyes. "I can't think of anything better," She whispered quietly. "Vince does want us to win them at Summerslam."

Liv chuckled, wiping away her tears. "It's kind of bittersweet doing this without Sarah." 

"I know, but when we win, we can dedicate the victory to her." Ruby mused, offering a hand to help Liv out of the pool. 

A mischievous glint entered Liv's eyes. "When we win, we riott." She mused, yanking Ruby by the wrist, into the pool. She laughed as Ruby came up for air, and tugged her friend close into a tight hug. "We're gonna be okay Rue." She promised softly. 

And for once Ruby believed her. They had found their way back to each other and they were going to be champions together. It was all she wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> So I am thinking this may end up having 3 chapters, maybe more. Who knows, not me. These stories have a way of taking on a life of their own. 
> 
> For my friends Lindsey, Hunter and Bay.


End file.
